The Little Things That Count The Most
by itsnotaboutlove
Summary: Sydney and Riley are best friends, who would do anything for eacch other. When Sydney brings home a necklace from Italy, they learn that it's a key to another part of the treasure.
1. Chapter 1

"Sydney, you bought a necklace that costs more than your rent!" Riley cried, as Syndey held the necklace up.

"So! You buy computers that are more then my rent and yours combined!" she shot back, swinging the necklace slightly on her finger.

Riley rolled his eyes and sighed, "I just don't think a necklace that looks like that, is worth $700 American dollars," he said, before flipping through a book on French Architecture.

Sydney pulled out the rest of her suvioners from her suitcase, and rolled her eyes and Riley's mumblings.

"If you keep mumbling like that, I wont give you your gift," she said, in a sing-song voice.

Riley stopped talking and looked up at her, mumblings aside. "Ohhh, you got me a present?" he asked.

Sydney frowned, "Why wouldn't I? We are best friends after all? How could I go to Europe and not buy my best friend presents?" she asked.

"When you say presents, that means there's more than one?" he asked, making her laughed.

Digging through the plastic bags, Sydney pulled out several different things and handed them over to her friend.

"Next time, I am kidnapping you and taking you with me to Europe. You'd love it there," she said, as she handed him a book on Roman art.

Riley was too busy, trying to open a bag of chocolate from Paris to even respond. "Coffee flavored chocolate, oh my god, Sydney I like, love you," he said.

Sydney snorted and grabbed the bag from him, before he sent the little chocolates flying everywhere. Handing the bag back, Sydney stood up from her bed and carried her new books over to her bookshelf.

"Don't eat them all in one shot. You'll get sick," she warned, as Riley bit into his first piece.

Rolling his eyes, Riley laid back against her pillows and sighed. "I think I love these gifts more than any other gift I've ever recieved," he stated.

Sydney walked back over to her bed, and moved her other large suitcase onto the floor and laid next to him.

"Good, because I'm broke now. Those are the last gifts you're gonna get for a while, "she said.

Riley snorted, "Well duh. That necklace didn't really help with your savings," he said.

Sydney sat up and grabbed the necklace out of the tiny box and held it up to her face. It was a simple gold pendent, with a red ruby in the middle. To her, the necklace was beautiful, no matter what Riley said. She had found it in a flea market in Italy, just laying on a table with other necklaces and bracelets. There was something about the necklace, that set it apart from all the others on the table. After setting her eyes on it, she knew right then and there, that she had to have it.

Placing the necklace on, Sydney got up and looked back at Riley. From what she could see, Riley was on his tenth piece of chocolate. Shaking her head, Sydney sighed.

"We have to get going, if you want to introduce me to your new friends," she stated, looking at the clock on her night table.

Riley groaned and got up, grabbing the bag of candy with him. Sydney looked in the mirror hanging above her dresser one last time, before she grabbed her bag, and followed Riley out of her apartment.


	2. Chapter 2

Riley, Sydney, Ben and Abigail sat around a small table in Riley's livingroom, drinking wine and beer. They had just returned from their dinner, and decided to head back to Riley's for drinks and to chat.

"So, Riley here told us that you just got back from Europe?"Ben asked, as Sydney filled her glass up with more wine.

She nodded, "Yes. I just got back yesterday, actually," she said.

Abigail smiled, "How long were you gone for?" she asked.

Riley snorted, "Two whole months, which I find to be boring," he said.

Sydney rolled her eyes, as Ben and Abby laughed.

"Riley, Europe is not boring!" Sydney whined, as she took another sip from her glass.

Ben nodded in agreement, "Think about all that history, Riley." he pointed out.

Sydney shrugged, "If it's got nothing to do with computers or video games Riley doesn't care," she stated.

Abigail snorted, trying her best to keep her wine from shooting out of her mouth. Ben laughed, while Riley shook his head. Sydney just smiled at him, before getting up to retrieve the other bottle of wine from the kitchen.

"And after I bought you all that stuff, including that chocolate!" she shouted, from the kitchen.

Abigail laughed out loud, "Oh no! You bought Riley chocolate?" she asked.

Sydney walked back into the livingroom, holding the bottle in her hand. Taking a seat next to Riley, she pulled the cork out of the bottle and nodded.

"Coffee flavored. All the way from Paris," she said, before pouring wine in her and Abigail's glass.

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Two hours after Ben and Abigail left the house, Riley and Sydney sat together on the couch. Both were slightly drunk, due to all the alcohol they consumed after Ben and Abby left.Three empty wine bottles sat on the coffee table, along with the glasses.

"Riley, why is there a strange blue-green man with a goetee, in the corner over there?" Sydney asked, pointing to the statue.

"Oh, I found it along with like, a billion dollars worth of treasure..." he said, as she giggled.

"Do you think we should ask if he'd like a glass of wine or something?" she asked, worried.

Riley snorted, and burried his face into her neck. "I don't think he drinks wine," he said.

"Then water? Hey! Mr. Blueish- Green man! Do you want some water?" Sydney shouted, as Riley laughed, trying to quiet her.

"Sydney, shut up! The statue doesn't want any water!" he said, as she tried to get the statue to talk to her.

After a few more minutes and failed attempts, Sydney sighed.

"Your statue is stupid, Rye," she stated, as he laid his head on her chest.

"Stop talking," he mumbled, falling asleep.

Sydney yawned again, and pulled one of the couch pillows down under her head. It was quiet for a few minutes, until Sydney spoke again.

"Do you think he'd like a jello shot?" she asked, voice already laced with sleep.

All she got in return, were Riley's snores.

**Kinda stupid, I know. Next chapter will lead us into the discovery of the necklace being the key to another part of the treasure! **


	3. Chapter 3

Sydney stepped onto the sidewalk, happy to be out of work. After seven long hours, going over photo spreads, film and appointments, she was finally free for the next two days. Clutching the strap of her bag, and holding the pendent to her necklace, Syndey crossed the street, and headed down a nearly deserted block. As she walked, she kept her one hand on the pendent, running her finger across the ruby. Riley had called earlier in the day, asking if Syndey had wanted to come over after work.

Since she had nothing to do, nor any other friend she wanted to hang out with, she agreed. As she thought of nothing, footsteps could suddenly be heard a short distance from behind her. Clutching her bag tightly, Sydney quickened her pace. But as she did that, the footsteps behind her quicked as well. Pulling her cellphone out of the front pocket of her bag, she opened a new message and started typing, looking up every so often.

_Riley, someone is following me. I'm a block away, between Samson and Clarksville. _

_Syd._

She pressed 'send', and clutched the phone tighly in her hand. Taking deep breaths, Sydney tried not to panic. As Sydney turned at the corner, she broke off into a run. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw the person that was follwing her. He too, was running. Sydney looked ahead, and dodged her way through crowds.

"Sorry! Coming through! Crazy guy chasing me!" she shouted, as people yelled out.

There was a loud roar, and Sydney looked to her left and saw Riley in his car. Turning on her heel, she ran out into the street and threw herself into the front seat.

"GO! GO!" she shouted, as the crazed follower ran out behind them.

Riley stepped on the pedel and floored the car, speeding down the empty street. Syndey looked back as the figure got smaller and smaller, before facing front. Sinking down in the steat, she let out a sigh.

"Thanks, " she muttered, dropping her bag to her feet.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Riley shouted, as he took a sharp turn onto a street.

"I don't know! I was walking and the next thing I knew, he was chasing me!" Sydney cried, as Riley drove down a dirt road.

"Riley, slow down! Where the hell are we going?" she asked, as Riley sped down the road.

Riley stopped the car and sighed, "Ben and Abby's" he said, nodding to her right.

Syndey looked over and gasped, thinking her eyes were playing a trick on her. There was no way Ben and Abigail lived in this house. Then again, it was hard to believe that Riley owned this fancy sports car she was sitting in.

"Ben and Abby live here?" she asked, as they got out of the car.

Riley took her by the hand and pulled her down the brick pathway and up the front steps to the house, ringing the doorbell. Seconds later, they were both greeted by a smiling Abigail, who wore an apron and had flour streaks on her face.

"Hey guys! What a surprise!" Abigail said, as she pulled them into a hug.

Riley and Syndey walked into house and Abigail shut the door behind them, "I'm making cookies, if you want to help that's fine," she said, as she walked back towards the kitchen. Just as Sydney was about to say yes, Riley beat her to it.

"Actually, we need Ben," he said, making Abigail frown.

"Why?" she asked, and Riley sighed.

"BEN! BEN! BEN! BEN!" Riley shouted, making Sydney jump.

Abigail glared at him and went back to her baking, and Sydney went over to join her. Seconds later, Ben came running into the kitchen.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, looking from Abigail, to Sydney, and to Riley.

"We've got a problem," Riley said, as Ben rolled his eyes.

"Riley, you scared the living daylights out of me! I thought someone got hurt, " he scolded, as he sat down at the counter.

"Close. Syndey was chased by someone," he said, making Sydney sigh.

"Riley!" she snapped, as Abigail gasped and Ben looked over at her.

"Chased?" he asked, and Syndey nodded.

"Yes, I was chased. I don't know who it was, and I don't have anyone who's out to get me. Which is a shock, because I'm best friends with the biggest loud mouth ever!" she shouted, glaring at Riley.

Riley stuck his tounge out at her, while Ben stole a glance at the pendent around her neck. It looked so familiar to him. Standing up, Ben disappeared from the kitchen, returning shortly with a book. Sitting down at the counter again, he pushed away the bag of flour and set the book on the counter top. Flipping through a the pages, he finally found what he was looking for.

"I think I know why," he said, as he read the pages.

Riley, Syndey and Abigail frowned, "Why?" Riley asked.

Ben looked up at them and said, "It's the necklace."


	4. Chapter 4

Syndey sat on the small sofa in Ben's office, with Abigail next to her. Riley sat behind Ben's desk, with his feet propped up ona pile of books. Ben paced back and forth in front of the overstuffed bookcase, muttering to himself.

"Okay, so the necklace that I found in a flea market, is acutally a clue to a hidden treasure?" Syndey asked, as Ben paced.

He stopped and looked at her, "Yes," he said, nodding.

Syndey looked at Riley, "And you helped these two find a whole bunch of gold and stuff recently?" she asked.

Riley shrugged, "It was more than just gold, but yes," he said, as Syndey glared at him.

Syndey laughed, throwing herself back on the couch. "I cannot believe this! Is this some sort of joke?" she asked, looking at the three of them.

Abigail shook her head, "Ben and I wouldn't be living in this house, if we were kidding. And Riley wouldn't be driving that car of his," she said.

Ben picked the book up from the small table and handed it over to Sydney, who took it and glanced at the page.

"The necklace is one of the four clues, that lead to the other part of the treasure. What we found a few months ago, was nothing. If the legend is correct, the treasure was spilt up and hidden in three other places. We found the first place. The necklace, well, that will lead us to the second place," Ben said, as Sydney read.

"Holy shit, that this is 500 years old?" she asked, looking up from the pages.

Riley snorted, while Abigail giggled. Ben sighed, shaking his head.

"Yes, it is. Now, all we have to do, is try and figure out where the location is and who sent that guy to follow you," he said, and Riley nodded.

Sydney opened her mouth to speak, but Ben cut her off.

"Riley and I will go back to your apartment, and get some of your things. Then we'll go to Riley's and do the same," he said, and Sydney frowned.

"Why are you going to get some of my things?" she asked, as Abigail stood up from the sofa.

"Because, you two are staying here. I guess I go and get the guestrooms ready," she said, before leaving the office.

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Sydney changed out of her work clothes and into a pair of shorts and a tanktop. It was a little after midnight, and everyone had gone up to their rooms for bed. Pulling her hair back into a ponytail, Sydney turned the lights off in her room and walked across the hall into Riley's. Riley was sitting up in bed reading a book, when he looked up.

"What's up?" he asked, as Syndey crawled into bed next to him.

"Is there really a treasure?" she asked, laying her head against the pillow.

Riley nodded, turning the page to his book. Syndey rolled her eyes and looked up at the ceiling, thinking about everything Ben had said earlier before.

"Riley, how do you think that guy knew I had the necklace?" she asked, as Riley closed his book.

Setting the book and his glasses on the table, Riley sunk down into bed and yawned. "I don't know, maybe you were flashing it off for the entire world to see?" he suggested.

Sydney sighed and Riley smirked, "I'm kidding, Syd. But we're safe here, so no one will be able to get you. Besides, Ben's got connections," he said.

Sitting up, Sydney grinned. "Like.. Mafia connections?" she asked.

Riley looked at her and fronwed, "Um, No. The FBI," he said, before closing his eyes.

Pulling the blankets up, Syndey slid her legs under them and settled down next to Riley. Tomorrow would be a busy day.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Syndey woke up to find herself alone in Riley's bed. Looking at the clock on the night stand, she saw that it was a little after 10. Getting up, Sydney walked back across the hall to her room and put her bag onto the bed. Walking over to the windows, she looked out at the backyard and smiled. Opening the windows, Sydney put her head out and breathed in the summer air.

Going back over to the bed, Sydney dug around and pulled out her bathing suit. Changing quickly, she brushed her hair and teeth in the bathroom and grabbed one of the towels off the counter. Running down the stairs, she ran into the kitchen. Ben, Abigail and Riley were standing around the stove and counters, making breakfast. Well, Ben and Abigail were doing most of the work. Riley was leaning against the counter, eating a bowel of cereal, while reading the comics section of the paper.

"Good Morning!" Sydney cheered, as she walked over to the counter.

Riley glanced at her, before going back to the paper. Then he quickly looked back up at her, and his jaw dropped.

"Um, where are your clothes?" he asked, as Sydney took the glass of orange juice from Ben.

Sydney thanked Ben, and took a sip from her glass. Riley's eyes traveled from her face to her chest, her legs and back up again. Seeing his best friend, running into the kitchen wearing nothing but a lime green bikini at 10:30 in the morning, was something Riley wasn't used to. Sydney set the glass down on the counter, and picked up her towel.

"I'm going for a swim!" she announced, before running outside.

_My best friend is hot. _Riley thought, as he heard a splash coming from the pool.

Ben looked at Riley, who was still staring at the spot where Sydney once stood, and elbowed him. Riley jumped and looked at Ben, rubbing his side.

"Ouch," he hissed, while Ben smirked.

"Help me carry this stuff outside," said Ben, as he handed the basket of napkins and plates over.

Riley grumbled and did what he was told, following Ben outside onto the porch. Sydney was already in the pool, swimming in the shallow side.

"I hope you're wearing sun screen," Riley said, as Sydney floated on her back.

"I am Riley. Don't worry," she said, in a sing song voice.

Twenty minutes later, Abigail came out with breakfast and announced that it was ready. Syndey climbed out of the pool and walked over to Riley, who was holding her towel. Smirking, Sydney shook the water out of her hair, spraying Riley, who jumped back.

"Sydney!" he whined, taking off his glasses.

Giggiling, Sydney wrapped the fluffy towel around her body, and followed Riley back over

to the small table. Riley cleaned his glasses off with his shirt, and put them back on. He glared at Sydney, who simply smiled back. Eating their breakfast, which consisted of eggs, bacon, pancakes and fruit, they disscussed what they would be doing that day.

Ruling that it wasn't safe for Sydney to go back to work, she was forced to spend the day with Riley.

"But I spend too much time with Riley! I've spent almost every day with him since we were like, three years old!" she whined, as Riley smirked.

"How do you think I feel? You talk too much and whine about everything," he said, making her gasp.

"I do not! You complain about every single thing! " she shot back, and the two began to bicker.

"Children, we do not fight and call each other names!" Abigail chided, as Syndey picked up a piece of bread.

Getting ready to throw it at Riley, Ben finally stepped in.

"We also don't throw food at each other," he pointed out, and Syndey dropped the toast on her plate.

After clearing off the table, Sydney ran upstairs to take a shower and change. When she came back downstairs, Sydney found Riley sitting on the sofa in the livingroom, with his laptop.

"Where did Ben and Abigail go?" she asked, taking a seat next to Riley.

"Ran away," he answered, as he fooled around on the computer.

Sydney watched as Riley tracked something on the computer, when she realized what it was.

"You're tracking their car?" she cried, as the red dot on the screen moved.

Riley set the laptop on the coffee table and nodded, "They're going to your apartment, then mine to see if anyone broke in last night. I'm tracking them, that way if anyone decides to follow, we can call the FBI," he said.

Sydney rolled her eyes, "Okay, you have fun, Riley." she said, standing up.

Riley watched as she walked out of the livingroom, "But you don't want to watch?" he called out to her.

All she could do was laugh.


	6. Chapter 6

Riley and Sydney were sitting on the couch, when Ben and Abigail arrived home. Both were carrying two large suitcases, which Riley and Sydney both recognized.

"Hey, why do you have my suitcase?" Sydney asked, as she and Riley walked over to them.

"Yeah! Why do you have my suitcase, Ben?" Riley asked, nodding.

Abigail set Sydney's bag down, and Ben did the same with Riley's.

"Are we moving in?" Riley asked, smiling.

Ben shook his head, "No, we're leaving. All of us," he said.

Sydney frowned, "What?" she asked.

Riley groaned, "Aw, come on! Why do we have to always go somewhere?" he whined, as Abigail sighed.

"Where are we going?" Sydney asked, following Ben and Abigail up the stairs.

Riley quickly followed, nearly tripping on the steps. The four of them walked into the office, while Ben went to the computer.

"We're going back to where you bought the necklace," Ben said, as he logged onto an airline website.

"We are, why?" she asked, as Ben looked up at them.

"Because, there might be a clue there, thats why," Ben answered, before he turned back to the screen.

Riley groaned from the couch, "Noooooooo! Another long flight. Over the ocean. I hate the ocean. I hate flying." he whined, as Abigail and Sydney giggled.

"Riley, you do know you can take something that'll knock you out," Sydney said, and Riley looked at her.

"Are you saying that I should drug myself?" he asked, and she laughed.

"Well, obviously. I don't think I can survive that flight sitting next to you," she replied.

Seconds later, the printer went off, printing out four plane tickets. Ben handed them each a ticket and stood up.

"We leave in six hours," he said, as he shut down the computer.

Abigail took Sydney by the hand and dragged her out of the office, "You have to help me pack!" she shouted, as they ran.

Riley and Ben followed, "Women," they both muttered.


	7. Chapter 7

Three hours later, Sydney found herself standing in the airport shop, buying Riley some sort of sleeping pill. There was no way she could sit through a long flight, with Riley complaining every five minutes. Grabbing a bag of gummie worms and a water bottle, Sydney went to the cashier and paid.

Walking out towards their gate, Sydney handed the box of pills to Riley, who was reading a book. He looked up and sighed, shaking his head.

"I'm not taking those," he said, looking at Sydney.

She smiled, "But I'm showing you them. That way you know, if you talk to much, I will drug you," she said.

Abigail giggled from her seat, while Ben read the newspaper. Sydney took a seat next to Riley, and grabbed her bag. Pulling out her black framed glasses and book, she sat back in the seat and began to read. Abigail elbowed Ben, who in turn glared at her. She pointed towards Riley and Sydney, and Ben looked over.

Both sat cross legged, with their books on their laps. With the identical glasses, it was too much. Having a female version of Riley was worse than having the real Riley around, since both could get annoying. They sat like this until their flight was being called to board. Sticking their books into their bags, Riley and Sydney stood up and followed Ben and Abigail towards the line.

"Screaming kids. Oh my god, screaming kids are boarding this flight, "Riley said, as a young couple with two crying toddlers boarded the plane.

"Riley, shut up!" Sydney hissed, as the line moved forward.

When their tickets and passports were checked, Riley and Sydney walked down the terminal and onto the plane. After finding their seats, which were right across from Ben and Abigail's, they loaded their bags in the overhead compartment and sat down. Sydney took the windowseat, while Riley took the middle. Luckily, it was an empty flight, so the chances of them having to sit with a stranger was slim.

"Would you stop fidgiting, Riley!" Sydney asked, as Riley pulled at the seat belt.

"I'm sorry! I need to be comfortable, since I'll be sitting down the entire time," he hissed.

The elderly couple in front of them, glanced at them. Sydney smiled, and shook her head.

"Sorry, my husband hates flying," she said, making Ben and Abigail look at them quickly.

Riley too, was staring at her, unsure of what to say. But the elderly woman smiled, unaware of what was going on.

"My husband feels the same,dear. After 62 years, it's a shame. Wouldn't calm down during our flight to Rome for our honeymoon," she said, with a laugh.

Sydney smiled, "It's our honeymoon too! Riley, see, you don't have to be ashamed about your phobia. It's alright honey," she cooed, kissing his cheek.

Abigail snorted loudly, before Ben hushed her.

Riley smirked, "I know sweeheart, but you don't have to shout it out loud for the entire flight to hear," he said, with a laugh.

When the elderly couple sat down, Riley pulled Sydney close to him.

"Husband?" he hissed, making her grin.

"It worked, didn't it?" she asked, and he rolled his eyes.

The flight attendents went over the safety procedures, as the captain announced what time they expected to land in Rome, and how the weather was going to be. Riley began to hyperventilate, as the plane moved down the runway, making Ben laugh, ignoring Abigail's pleas to stop. Three hours into the flight, Riley finally took his seatbelt off.

"You know, you could've taken that off 40 minutes after we took off," Sydney said, looking up from her book.

Riley rolled his eyes, "Well excuse me, Miss. I'm-Not-Afriad-Of-Flying," he snapped, before he slowly stood up from his seat.

Pulling his bag down from the overhead compartment, Riley sat back down and dug through is bag, pulling out his book. Shoving his bag under the seat in front of him, Riley put his glasses back on and opened to where he left off. Syndey put her book in the seat next to her and turned to Riley.

"What are you reading?" she asked, leaning over to read part of the page.

"You're diary," he said, making her gasp.

He chuckled, "Calm down, Syd. Reading your diary, would be like reading my death wish," he said, making her glare at him.

"Cute Riley. Really cute," she said, as she pushed the arm rest between them up.

Sydney put her lets onto the seat next to her, and leaned onto Riley's arm, making him groan.

"What are you doing?" he asked, as she tried to get comfortable.

"I'm trying to get comfortable, Riley," Sydney answered.

Riley lifted his arm up and placed it around her shoulders, and Sydney rested her head on his chest. Abigail was busy reading her own book, when she glanced over at Riley and Sydney. Ben was doing a crossword puzzle, when she nudged him.

"What?" he asked, tearing his gaze off the puzzle.

Abigail pointed over to Riley and Sydney, and Ben looked. Sydney was asking Riley for the definition of a word, and he was trying to explain in to her in easy terms.

"I think that's adorable," Abigail said, and Ben chuckled.

"What? Riley giving her a definition?" he asked, turning back to his crossword.

"No, Ben. That they obviously like each other, but are too stubborn to realize it," she replied, before going back to her book.


	8. Chapter 8

Sydney quietly sneaked back into the room she and Riley shared, and over to the bed. It was a little after five, and Riley was still asleep. With the help of Abigail, they managed to crush up some of the sleeping pills, and dumped them into two water bottles, that way Ben and Riley would fall asleep.

Quietly, Sydney stood up on the bed and over Riley, who was snoring loudly. She covered her mouth, smothering her giggles.

"RILEY! RILEY! RILEY! TIME TO WAKE UP!" Sydney shouted, as she jumped on the bed.

Startled, Riley lifted his head up from the pillow and groaned, when he realized it was only Sydney.

"Go away!" he mumbled, as he shoved his head under the pillow.

Sydney stopped jumping, and knelt down over Riley. Pulling the pillow off his head, she started to poke him.

"Riley, wakie-wakie. Come on, honey! We're on your honeymoon!" Sydney cooed, making Riley look at her.

"Funny. Real funny. Why don't you go bug Abigail and Ben?" he said, as she smiled.

"I did! They're getting ready to go out for dinner! Now get your geeky butt out of bed, in the shower and get dressed! If you do this, I'll buy you something!" she promised.

Riley did what he was told, and twenty minutes later, he stepped out into the sitting room where Abigail and Ben shared the same look as he. Sydney sighed, shaking her head.

"I don't know why you guys look so grumpy!" she said, as they walked out of their hotel room.

Taking the elevator down to the lobby, Sydney practically dragged Riley outside, much to his protest.

"I'm sorry, Rye! I'm just so excited to be back her so soon!" she said, giggling.

After walking for three blocks, they finally settled on a small cafe with outdoor seating. After placing in their orders, they all sat back in their seats and enjoyed the view around them. The sun was setting, making the city of Rome look like heaven.

"Even though we're hear for treasure, Rome is the most beautiful place in the world," Sydney said, as she pointed towards the horizon.

Abigail and Ben whispered quietly to each other, giggling. Sydney tapped Riley on the hand pointed out.

"Over that hill, is the ocean. And if you continue going North, you'll see this little house on a cliff. No one lives there, but it's been empty since 1530," she said, smiling softly.

'Really? Why?" Riley asked, as the waiter brought over a basket of bread and a large bowl of salad.

Sydney shrugged, "I don't know. When I asked this woman about it she told me this story about the woman who lived their the first two years after the house was built. Supposedly, she had the house built on the cliff facing the sea, because the man she loved was away on government orders. So everyday, she would stand on the edge of the cliff, and wait for his ship to return. Two years went by, and she waited and waited. As the story goes, the woman died two days before her lover returned. Since then, no one's lived there since," Sydney said, sadly.

"That sucks," Riley said, and Sydney nodded.

"It does, but I she really loved him. In a way, it's kinda romantic, looking out at the sea, waiting for your long lost love to return," she said.

The waiter returned again with another waiter, and placed their dishes down on the table. They chatted over dinner and talked about their plans for the time being. Once dinner was over, they sat around the table. Abigail begged Ben to order a bottle of Limoncello, claiming that she heard it was the best lemon liqueur produced in Southern Italy. To shut her up, Ben orderd a bottle, while he and Riley ordered coffee.

When the waiter returned with four shot glasses, a bottle of Limoncello and two cups of coffee, Abigail squealed in delight.

"Sydney, you have to try it with me!" Abigail said, as Ben poured the Limoncello into two shot glasses.

He handed one to Abigail and the other to Sydney, who took it. Riley watched as Sydney started at the small shot glass in her hand, while he stirred sugar into his coffee.

"Riley, can you try it too? Please?" she asked, turning to him.

Riley shook his head, "No way. Everytime I drink with you, I end up getting drunk off my ass," he said, holding his hands up.

Ben laughed, as he took a sip from his coffee. Riley shook his head, as Sydney pouted.

"No, Syd. No way," he said, taking a sip from his glass.

Abigail shook her head, "Forget them, Sydney. They claim that they're big, strong men, but really, their babies," she said, making Riley gasp.

"I'm not a baby!" he cried, making Abigail snort.

"Then take a shot, you too Ben," she said, looking at her boyfriend.

"Come on! One shot and you can go back to drinking your plain, black coffee," Sydney said, making a face.

Ben and Riley gave in, and the girls poured the Limoncello into the other two shot glasses and handed them over. Holding up their glasses, they smiled.

"To..." Sydney trailed off, not sure of what to toast too.

"To Italy?" Abigail offered, but Syndey shook her head.

"How about to treasure?" Ben offered, making Riley groan.

"How about we toast to, how much Riley's going to wish he never did this?" he asked, making Sydney laugh.

"I'll toast to it," she said, as Ben and Abigail nodded in agreement.

They clinked their glasses and each drowned the shot of Limoncello. Sydney slammed the shot glass down and squeezed her eyes shut, as the alcohol burned her throat. She could hear Riley gagging to her left.

"Oh my god! It burns! It burns!" he cried, as he coughed.

Sydney giggled, pushing his shoulder lightly. "Oh Riley, stop being a party pooper!" she whined.

Ben and Abigail laughed, "Wow, it's strong!" Ben said, as Abigail brushed the back of her hand across her mouth.

"I want to do another!" she cried, and Syndey nodded.

Ben handed Abigail the bottle and watched as she filled up her glass and Syndey's, while Riley shook his head.

"When they wake up in the middle of the night sick, you can take care of them," he said, as he washed down the taste with his coffee.

Ben laughed, as the girls toasted to themselves and other things, and shook his head.

"Eh, let them have fun for once. They'll suffer the consequences tomorrow when we have to wake up early to get to work," he said.


	9. Chapter 9

Waking Syndey and Abigail the next morning, could be compared to pulling teeth. Abigail swore up a storm, before throwing up on the bedroom floor. Sydney on the other hand, whined and begged for an extra eight hours of sleep. It took Riley nearly a half and hour to get Sydney out of bed. Once he pulled the blankets down towards the end of the bed, Syndey finally put her glasses on and dragged herself out of bed.

"Riley! Carry me!" she whined, as she wrapped a blanket around her shoulders.

Riley sighed, "Fine! Just don't throw up," he warned, as she climbed onto his back.

Carrying her out to the sittingroom, they were greeted by Ben and a very pale looking Abigail. Riley carefully set Sydney down on the sofa, and took a seat next to her.

"What happened last night?" Syndey asked, as she laid her head on Riley's shoulder.

Ben chuckled and Abigail shot him a dirty look. Handing Sydney a glass of water and two advils, Ben took a seat next to Abigail on the other sofa.

"You don't remember?" he asked, as Sydney washed the pills down.

She shook her head, setting the glass on the table. Riley began to smirk, and she groaned.

"Oh god, what did I do? Please tell me!" she begged, as Abigail muttered something.

"Well, I don't know where to begin, "Riley said, making her gasp.

"Riley Poole, you better tell me what happened!" she warned, before she rubbed the sides of her head.

Ben snorted, and Riley smiled. "Well, first you and Abigail smuggled the bottle of Limoncello out of the resturant. On the walk home, you two shared the bottle, while yelling at everything in sight. Once we got back to the room, Abigail claimed that she could hear her hair growing, while you walked right into a door," Riley said.

Abigail groaned, "I did not say that!" she snapped.

Riley held up his hand, "Please, let me finish the story," he said.

"You found the matches in the kitchen and almost lit your hair on fire. Thank god I was there to save you, because if I didn't you'd have no hair," said Riley.

Sydney rolled her eyes, "Oh! And getting you dressed for bed, was an adventure! It tops my list of the most hysterical things you've done while drunk," he said.

"Riley, what did I do?" she asked, hysteria filling her voice.

Riley snorted, "You proceeded to take off your clothes and you ran out in your underwear to Abigail and Ben's room, and you two proceeded to make out," he said.

Sydney's jaw dropped, while Abigail looked like she could cry. Ben and Riley laughed, as the two girls shouted in disgust.

"I MADE OUT WITH BEN?" Syndey shouted, disgusted.

Ben stopped laughing, "Hey!" he said, pretending to be hurt and insulted.

Riley shook his head, "No, with Abigail," he said.

"Oh my god, Abigail! I'm so sorry!" Sydney cried, as Abigail ran to the bathroom to throw up again.

Ben sighed after a few minutes, "Okay, time to get to work," he said.

For the next two hours, as Abigail laid on the bathroom floor, Ben and Riley went over the plans for the day ahead. They would go back to the flea market and try to find the man that sold the necklace to Sydney, and see if he could give them any tips on where he found the necklace. Sydney took a hot bath, while Ben checked on his hungover girlfriend. Riley ordered room service, toast for the girls and pancakes for him and Ben.

After eating, they all headed out in search of the flea market. After walking for several minutes, Abigail and Sydney began to whine and complain about how hungover they were to walk.

"That's too bad, I thought you out of all people, Abby, would want to view Rome on foot," said Ben, as they walked.

Abigail made a face, and pulled her sunglasses on. She walked a few feet away from Ben, who tried to hold her hand, but she simply wouldn't have it. Sydney and Riley walked a behind them, slowly. Sydney reached out and grabbed Riley's hand, much to his surprise.

"What's wrong?" he asked, as she walked into him.

"I'm hungover, that's what's wrong," she said, as they walked.

After a few seconds of silence, Sydney turned to Riley.

"Did I really make out with Abigail?" she asked, and Riley smiled.

"No," he said, and Sydney shook her head.

Riley looked at her, "You made out with me."


	10. Chapter 10

For the rest of the walk to the flea market, Sydney walked with Abigail, both keeping their distance from Ben and Riley. Abigail had legitimate reason as to why she wasn't talking to Ben. She was angry at him. Sydney on the other hand, was bothered by the news that Riley shared with her. _You made out with me. You made out with me._ Those words replayed over and over again in her head, as she walked with Abigail.

"Abigail being pissed off I get, but Syndey? What did you do?" Ben asked, as they walked a few feet behind the girls.

"I told her the truth about last night," Riley said, as they turned down the cobblestoned street.

"About you and her?" he asked, and Riley nodded.

Ben looked at Riley, "Well, what did she say?" he asked, curious.

Riley sighed, "She gave me this look. It was like she was being choked or something, then well... you saw it Ben! She quickly ran away to Abigail and she's probably telling her what happened as we speak," he said.

But Riley was wrong. Syndey and Abigail were not talking about Sydney and Riley's problem. Instead, Sydney allowed Abigail to whine and complain about Ben.

"I just don't get it sometimes! He always has to say something stupid, to piss me off!" she ranted, as Sydney walked, thinking of other things.

"Sometimes I wonder if us being together is a good idea. I mean, our relationship started under the worst circumstances, but.." Abigail said, glancing over at Sydney.

Sydney shrugged, "You know how men are," she said, as they reached the flea market.

Abigail frowned, knowing that something was going on, and made a mental note to ask Syndey later that night.

"Okay, the guy was somewhere over there," Sydney said, pointing towards the left.

They walked and weaved through the crowds, ignoring the calls and begs from the sellers around them. Sydney looked around, trying to spot the familiar stand, where she had purchased the necklace. Looking past the stand of pots and vases, she saw the old man in the dark maroon shirt and white linen pants.

"Ben! Riley! Over there!' she shouted, as she took Abigail by the hand so they wouldn't get lost in the crowd.

Ben and Riley met up with them seconds later, and they started towards the stand.

"Does anyone speak Italian?" Riley asked, as they walked.

Abigail shook her head, but Ben nodded. "I know some, do you Sydney?" he asked, looking down at the petite brunette.

She nodded and they made their way over to the old man and his jewlery stand. After several minutes, they thanked the man, and walked back over Riley and Abigail, who stood underneath the shade.

"Well?" Abigail asked, as they stood before them.

"He said the necklace was given to him by a woman. She told him that she found in another flea market," said Ben, as Sydney fixed her shoe.

"So, where is this other flea market?" Riley asked, using his hand to block out the sun.

"It's in Greece," Sydeny said, shaking the rocks out of her shoe.

"What part of Greece?" Abigail asked, as Sydney slipped her shoe back on.

"Mikonos," Ben said, as they started walking towards the exit of the flea market.

"So, we have to fly to Greece and hunt down this other flea market?" Riley asked, as they walked.

"Yes, Riley. We do," said Ben, as Riley groaned.

The rest of the walk to the hotel was a quiet one, as the girls walked further ahead from the boys. Once they returned to the room, Ben and Riley played around on the laptop, trying to get a direct flight to Greece, while Abigail and Sydney got ready for dinner. As Sydney dug through her bag, Abigail sat down on the edge of the bed.

"So, what did Riley do to make you so annoyed at him?" she asked, as Sydney pulled out a pair of white shorts.

"Nothing," she said, as she stripped off her jeans and pulled the shorts on.

Abigail began to look through Sydney's bag, not wanting to get her own clothes and sighed, "You know Riley more than I do, but I know him well enough that he can annoy the sanity out of people," she said.

Syndey pulled a light blue tank top on and sat down, "Remember what he said today? About you and me?" she asked, as Abigail pulled on a Sydney's white summer dress.

She nodded, tying the strings around her neck. "What about it?" she asked.

"He lied, I didn't make out with you," Sydney said as she pulled on her silver flip flops.

"What! He lied!?" Abigail shouted, as Sydney nodded.

Abigail shook her head, "What else did he say?' she asked, sitting back down.

Sydney looked down at the makeup bag she was holding and sighed, "I made out with Riley," she said, softly.

"Oh..." Abigail said, nodding.

Syndey walked into the bathroom and began to fix her hair, "But whatever, it was a one time thing. I just wish he didn't make up some silly lie," she said, pushing her hair back with a headband.

Abigail nodded, tossing the clothes back into the suitcase, "Yeah, I'm sure," she muttered, so that Sydney couldn't hear.


	11. Chapter 11

Fourteen hours later, after a long plane ride from Rome to Athens, they were finally in Mikonos. Famous for its cosmopolitan character and intense nightlife, the granite composed island was much more beautiful than in the pictures. The hotel was on the cliffs near the ocean, where the sounds of the local life could be heard. Every building they walked by, was pure white. When the ship docked, Sydney thought she was looking at houses made of sugar cubes. Never had she seen a city more beautiful in her life.

At 6:45, after showers and settling in, the four went into the market area of the island. They decided to start looking now, but came up with nothing.

"Maybe we should look when it's lighter out," Sydney suggested, as they walked away from one market seller, in defeat.

"I agree, and I'm starving," Riley said, making everyone groan.

After a small dinner, they returned to their hotel room and went to be early. The next morning, they all woke up at 9:30, and had a small breakfast. Afterwards, they split up into two, and started working. Ben and Abigail went into town, while Sydney and Riley went closer to the beach.

"Sydney, are you mad at me?" Riley asked, as they walked near the docks.

Sydney looked at him, "I don't know. I'm pretty upset that you made up a lie, when you could've told me the truth," she said.

Riley sighed, "I know. But, if I told you what really happened, you'd probably freak out and never speak to me again," he said.

Sydney rolled her eyes, and wrapped her arm around Riley's shoulders. "As annoying as you get, I don't think I'd ever stop talking to you," she said.

After an hour of looking for anything that was similar to the necklace, they took a break. Grabbing a bite to eat, Riley and Sydney headed towards the docks.

"You know, I've never really thought about coming to Greece. I always thought Europe and Australia would be the best places to go," Sydney said, as she took a bite out of her gyro.

"What about all those other places you used to talk about going to? India? China?" Riley asked, as picked the onions out of his own gyro.

Sydney shrugged, taking a sip of her drink. Throwing out her garbage in the pail a few feet from them, Sydney stood against the railing and looked out at the ocean. Riley finished eating and threw out his trash, and took his place next to Sydney.

"The water is so blue," she said, looking down.

Riley did the same, "Eh, it's alright," he said.

Smiling, Sydney shook her head and looked at Riley. "Do you always have to be negative about everything?" she asked.

Riley grinned, "I'm not negative. I just speak my mind," he said, making her laugh.

"No kidding," she snorted, before looking back out at the water.

They were quiet for a moment, before Sydney turned and looked at Riley again.

"When I...When I kissed you, did I say anything?" she asked, frowning.

Riley looked at her for a moment, then looked away. Sydney sighed, tilting her head to the side.

"Riley!" she whined and he sighed, looking back at her.

"You said that,and I quote, "Riley, you're my best friend in the entire world, and I'm in the most romantic city in the world.." and you kissed me, then said that "you loved me," then you kissed me some more, before passing out. And that was that..." he said, blushing slightly.

Sydney looked away, for she too was blushing, and cleared her throat. Of course she loved Riley, but she wasn't sure if it was the same love she had for him all her life. She didn't know how Riley was feeling about her now, or ever. He didn't know that she cried almost every night for two months while she slept in the wonderful cities that Europe had to offer. All because she missed her best friend.

"Riley I-" Sydney started, but was instantly cut off, when Riley leaned forward and kissed her.

Unsure of what to do, Sydney stood there stiff as a board. Her best friend was kissing her. Sober. After a few minutes, however, it suddenly began to feel good. Relaxing, Sydney placed her hands on Riley's arms, and moved forward. Riley put one hand on her neck, while his other arm wrapped around her waist. Kissing your best friend wasn't supposed to feel like this. It wasn't supposed to feel...right.

When they pulled away from each other, their was the awkward silence between them. Then came the awkward laugh, which perfectly fit the mood.

Just as Riley was about to say something, he looked over Sydney's shoulder and stopped laughing. Sydney frowned, and turned around at well.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking back at him.

Riley grabbed her by the hand and pulled her away from the railing, and started walking back towards the mainland.

"Riley! What.. Why are we leaving?" she asked, as Riley looked over his shoulder again.

Suddenly he began to panic, "Run! Run!" he shouted, as Sydney looked back.

She spotted the man in a black suit, and started to run with Riley. They ran off the docks and started weaving through the crowds, knocking people to the side. By standers began to curse at them in Greek, but there was no time to stop and apologize. Sydney looked back and saw that the man chasing them had vanished, and Riley pulled her into a pottery shop. Pulling out his cellphone, he dialed Ben's number and pulled Sydney into the corner, away from the windows.

"Ben, it's Riley. We have a problem," Riley said, as Sydney kept her eyes on the window.

"_What's wrong? Are you hurt? Is Syndey- are both of you okay?" _Ben asked, as Riley looked out from the corner.

"We're fine," Riley said, as Sydney nodded to assure him.

_"Then whats wrong? Why are you out of breath?" _Sydney heard Ben ask.

"Because we were chased, Ben!" Riley snapped, as Sydney put her hand on his arm.

"Calm down," she mouthed, as Riley nodded.

"_Chased? By who?" _Ben asked, and Riley sighed.

"Ian Howe."


	12. Chapter 12

Syndey and Riley were sitting on their bed, when Ben and Abigail returned. Immediatley, questions were being asked, about what happened. As Riley retold the story- minus the part of kissing- Sydney and Abigail sat on the bed.

"Can someone tell me who the hell this Ian guy is?" Sydney asked, making Ben and Riley stop talking.

"Ian Howe was the man who tried to steal the Declaration and the treasure from us," Ben said, as Sydney frowned.

"The Declaration?" she asked, not sure of what he was talking about.

Ben and Riley nodded, and Sydney's eyes grew wide. "OH! Oh my god, Riley! You stole the Declaration of Independence! How are you- all three of you- not in prision?" she asked, glancing at Ben and Abigail.

"Ben was close to getting into prision, but instead he got the FBI to arrest Ian, where he was supposed to be for the next 30 to 40 years- if I'm not mistaken," Riley said.

Sydney shook her head, "Then, why is he here in Greece?" she asked.

Riley shrugged, "I don't know, maybe he broke out. Ian's a smart guy, Syd." he said.

Abigail groaned, "Great, it's the last thing we need. It doesn't help that the last time we saw him, he left us for dead and threatened to kill Riley," she said, instantly regretting her words.

Sydney gasped, "He-He threatened to kill you? Oh my god, what are we going to do? she asked, as tears filled her eyes.

Ben held up his hand, "He's not going to kill anyone. We'll have to watch our backs, and stick together. I think it's best if we stayed in tonight. We'll order in and make a plan for tomorrow," he said.

After a dinner, that anyone hardly ate, they made a plan head into one of Mikonos' busy market places. Sleep didn't come easy that night for anyone, as they laid wide awake in their beds. Sydney kept hearing things from outside, sending her into a panic. She made Riley get up and close the windows, which he complained about.

"It'll get to hot in here, then!" he whined, as she pushed him out of bed.

"I rather be hot, than dead!" she shot back, and Riley gave in.

For the rest of the night, they both laid, sweating in their bed. But it made Sydney fell much better, knowning that she would wake up with someone standing over her, ready to kill. The next morning, after showers and a light breakfast, they headed out towards the marketplace. Abigail and Sydney wore hats, tucking their hair in. Sunglasses for the boys, which hardly helped. Riley's loud mouth and Ben tallness, would make them noticeable to Ian or whoever else he was with.

The marketplace was very crowded that day, which made them lucky. It would be hard for Ian to find them, unless he decided to whip out a gun and shoot it off. As they walked, they kept their eyes open not only for Ian, but for clues. After an hour of searching, they nearly gave up, when Abigail spotted something near a fountain.

"Guys, come look at this," she said, was she stood in front of the fountain.

Ben, Riley and Sydney walked over to her and looked at to what Abigail as pointing. In the fountain, there laid an ingraving, that was similar to the necklace Sydney was wearing underneath her shirt. Ben sat down on the ledge and reached into the fountain, seeing if there were any hidden compartments. Pushing down on the engraving, something popped out on the side of the fountain, hitting Sydney on the foot.

"Ouch!" she cried, pulling her left leg up.

Riley snorted, while Abigail and Ben looked down at the piece of stone, cut into a shape of a box. Ben reached down and picked it up, pulling out the parchment that was folded up inside. Sydney and Riley stepped forward, as Ben unfolded the parchment. Drawn in ink, was a map of a castle.

"Is this a clue?" Riley asked, looking at the map.

Ben nodded, and Sydney looked at him. "I know this place," she said, suddenly.

They looked at her and she nodded, "It's near this island which is good," she said.

"How close?" Ben asked, as Abigail took the map from Ben.

" The map we're looking at is of Delos, which is one of the most important mythological and historical archaeological sites in Greece. It's been a holy sanctuary for a millennium, before Olympian Greek mythology made it the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis," she said, using all the information she had learned back in college.

Riley looked at her, "It's impossible to retain that much information about something so boring," he said, making her laugh.

"Okay, so we have one clue down. I suggest we head back to the hotel and see what we can do about getting to..where excatly is this place?" Abigail asked, looking towards Sydney.

"It's isolated in the center of the circular ring of islands, which are called the Cyclades. It's near this island," she said, feeding off information like a fax machine.

Abigail nodded, "Right, okay then. Let's go," she said.

Heading back towards the exit of the market place, they quietly talked about their plan. But never once did they notice Ian, standing in the shadows a few feet away, hearing every word they had said. Ian laughed to himself, shaking his head.

"I've got you right where I want you," he said to himself, before dialing a number onto his cellphone.


	13. Chapter 13

"So, we're archaeologists from the University of Albany?" Sydney asked, as Riley handed her a fake school ID.

Riley nodded, "Yes, we are," he said, as they headed towards the ship that would take them to Delos.

Sydney chuckled, looking down at her face on the badge. Her name was now Veronica Appleton, a senior in historical reconstrutcion. Abigail was now going by the name of Brittnay Davidson for biological studies, while Ben was Roger Johnson head of the chemistry department.

"And who are you, Riley?" Sydney asked, reading the name of Riley's badge.

She began to laugh, "Oh, come on! Why do you get to keep your first name?" she asked, as they walked up to the line of students- real students- from other colleges..

"Because, it fits me," Riley said, with a smile.

After their badges were checked, thanks to the help of Riley cracking into the list of students names that had called out a week before, they boarded the ship and went to the front.

"How come they didn't question us, if we took the names of students that weren't supposed to go?" Sydney asked, as she and Riley set their bags down on the deck.

"Because I'm a genius. Us four are the only students that were supposed to come from Albany. Everyone else here, are from different schools. I sent an email to the director of this dig, and said that we'd arrived in Mikonos yesterday afternoon and that we'd be at the dock this morning by 10," Riley said.

Sydney just looked at him, then smiled. "Riley, you're a genius!" she cried, before kissing him fully on the lips.

When she pulled away, Sydney couldn't help but blush. Riley just stood there, dazed at what just happened. A few minutes later, Ben and Abigail caught up with them.

"Okay, so from what we hear, it'll take us four hours to get to Delos. Once we get there, we have to confirm that we're present then we'll skip the lecture and get moving," Ben said, as they nodded.

"But, what if we get caught?" Riley asked, as Ben rolled his eyes.

"Riley, we wont get caught. If we stick together, I'm positive that we'll get to the ruins before the others. The actual dig doesn't start until tomorrow morning," he said.

"So we'll blend in, and not give anything away that would make us look out of character," Abigail said, with a nod.

For the rest of the trip, the foursome sat on the front deck of the ship and watched as the ship cut through nothing but ice blue waters. By 2:30, the shore of Delos could be seen in the distance.

"Wow, look at that," Ben said, as he leaned against the railing of the ship.

Abigail, Sydney and Riley stood next to him and watched, as the island grew bigger and bigger as they got closer. It was gorgeous. The white ruins, of temples and statues stood out against the brown and green landscape.

"I can't believe after all these years, it all managed to stay up," Sydney said, as other passengers stood by and watched as they got closer to the site.


	14. Chapter 14

"Ouch!"

"Sorry!"

"I think you broke it!"

"I said I was sorry!"

"Will you two shut up!" Ben hissed.

Syndey and Riley blushed, and continued walking. It was a little after midnight, and the group decided to start searching for clues. Using flashlights, they climbed through the ruins.

"How's your foot?" Riley asked, sometime later, as they started walking through a ruin temple.

Syndey wiggled her foot, "It's okay, I guess." she said.

Abigail and Ben wre shining their flashlights along the walls of the temple. In the walls were engravings, that told the stories and legends written by the Greeks.

"What does it say?" Abigail asked, as she walked around in a full circle.

"I don't know," Ben answered, looking as well.

Turning to Riley and Sydney, who were sitting pretty close to each other, he watched. Riley had his hand on Sydney's face, his thumb brushing across her cheek. He was asking her about her foot, that he'd stepped on earlier.

"Are you sure it's not broken?" he asked, as she nodded.

"I'm sure. Just watch where you put your big feet," Syndey said, with a laugh.

Ben cleared his throat, making them both jump. Riley quickly put his hand down, and Ben sighed.

"Are you two gonna help us find any clues? Or just sit there?" he aksed, shining the flashlight in their faces.

Riley stood and pulled Sydney up with him, and they started looking around. After a full hour of nothing, Sydney began to wonder why the map led them to the island in the first place. As she was looking at one of the engravings on the wall, Riley gasped. Turning her head, Sydney walked over to his side.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking at him.

Riley pointed to the wall, then to her neck. Sydney frowned and leaned in, looking at what Riley was staring at. With shock, Sydney gasped as well. There on the wall, carved in all those years ago, was the pendent.

"Ben! Abby!" Syndey called, waving her hand to them.

Ben and Abigail rushed over, holding their flashlights up.

"What is it? What'd you find?" Abigail asked, as both Sydney and Riley looked at them.

"This," Sydney said, shining her own light onto the wall.

Ben and Abigail both leaned in and looked at the engraving on the wall, and Ben nodded.

"Now it makes sense," he said, making the other three look at him.

"It's the symbol of Apollo," he said, and Sydney frowned.

"Symbol of Apollo? I've never heard of this and I studied Greek history," she said, shaking her head.

"I guess you're not so smart after all," Riley said, with a laugh.

Sydney glared at him, and he quickly stopped. Then Sydney looked back at Ben.

"Continue," she said.

Ben nodded, "Thank you. Now, if I'm correct, the symbol of Apollo was used in a form of respect for the god. It was put all around his temple of worship, and worn by those who looked up to him. There's a legend that Apollo had a signature symbol that he used as a code," he said.

"A code for what? That someone in the next hundred years or so, would be chased down on the sidewalk?" Riley asked.

"No, for a hidden treasure," Ben corrected, and Riley groaned.

"Another treasure, right. How stupid of Riley to forget," Riley mumbled, making Sydney giggle.

"The legend also says that Apollo had a treasure, that he wanted to hide from the other gods. It was clear that the others wanted this treasure, so he hid it, using the symbol to throw them off," he said.

Abigail nodded, "Okay, but where would he hide it? In the temple?" she asked, confused.

Ben thought for a moment, "Maybe, unless it went somewhere else," he said.

Riley shook his head, "What makes you think that Apollo even exsisted?" he asked, and Sydney quickly covered his mouth.

This startled not only Riley, but Ben and Abigail as well.

"Riley! Don't diss the gods! They could come out and curse you forever!" she said, in a very serious- yet scared- tone.

Ben and Abigail couldn't help but snigger, and Riley rolled his eyes. Pulling her hand off his mouth, he shook his head.

"I think you're, and you-Ben-, are crazy. Now, can we please go back towards camp? I'm tired," Riley asked.

Moving out of the temple, they made there way down the path to camp and into their tents. Tomorrow, they would have to look around some more.


	15. Chapter 15

Sydney groaned, rolling over in her cot. Opening her eyes, she glanced around the dark tent. Across from her, Riley laid half off- half on- his own cot, snoring lightly. Getting up slowly, Sydney grabbed a flashlight and stepped out of the tent. Shining the light down on her watch, she saw that it was three in the morning. With a sigh, she started to walk around, hoping it would wear her out.

As she walked around the perimeter of the camp, the wind began to pick up. Dark grey clouds began to cover the moon, blocking out any sort of light it gave off. Even though it was mid-August, Sydney couldn't help but shiver. Deciding that it was time to go back to the tent, Sydney held the flash light in front of her and began to walk.

Suddenly, someone came up behind her and placed their hand on her mouth. Sydney's body jerked forward, causing her to drop the flashlight on the ground, breaking the bulb. Struggling to get away, the kidnapper wrapped his other arm around her waist and picked her up off the ground. Sydney started to scream, but it was useless, when her screams were smothered. The sight of the camping grounds became smaller and smaller, before everything faded into the black.

A few short hours later, Riley woke up to find himself alone in the tent. Grabbing his glasses, he pulled himself off the cot and outside into the blazing sun. Abigail and Ben were standing outside their own tent, taking in the view of the temple. As Riley walked over to them, Abigail smiled.

"Good Morning, Riley," she said, cheerfully.

Riley yawned in response, and Abigail shook her head.

"Where's Sydney?" he asked, after a few seconds.

Ben and Abigail shrugged, "I don't know. She's not in the tent?" Abigail asked, as Ben went back into their own.

Riley shook his head, "No, she wasn't there when I woke up," he said.

Abigail shrugged, "Maybe she's going to the bathroom?" she suggested.

The head director of the dig walked over to them, "Excuse me, I have the Head of Archaeology on via-satellite from the University of Albany. He'd like to have a word with one of you," he said.

Riley just looked at the man, confused. Luckily Abigail stepped in, giving the man once of her convincing smiles. After thanking the man, Abigail and Riley went into the tent and informed Ben of what just happened. As they walked towards the satellite phones, they whispered to each other.

"What are we going to do? That man is going to know that we're not actual students from the Albany!" Abigail hissed, as one of the techs handed Ben the phone.

"Let me handle it," he said, before putting the phone to his ear.

"Hello, Roger Johnson speaking," Ben said, using his fake name.

"Hello, Ben"

Ben nearly dropped the phone, when he heard that voice. Riley and Abigail frowned, when the expression changed on his face.

"What do you want?" Ben asked, as Ian chuckled.

"Is that the hello I get, after being locked up. Afterall, I've got you and the others to thank for that," Ian said, with a chuckle.

"Like I asked before, what do you want?"

"I've got Riley's little girlfriend," said Ian.

Ben's grip on the phone tightened, and Abigail knew right away that something was wrong. Ben gave her a look and she nodded, taking Riley by the arm.

"Riley, let's go find something to eat. Then we can go see if you can hack into the satellite system to get a signal on your laptop," she said.

Before Riley could protest, Abigail was practically dragging him across the camp. Ben turned his attention back to the phone, moving away from the tent.

"Why are you doing this?" Ben asked, nearly hissing into the phone.

"She's has the key to the missing treasure, and I want it," Ian sneered.

"If you hurt her-" Ben warned, before Ian's laughter cut him off.

"You'll what? Send me back to prision again? Oh Gates, you underestimate me. I broke out of prision once, what makes you think I wont do it again?" he asked.

"Now, I want you- along with your girlfriend and the geek- to leave the camp around sundown. Head East. You'll find further directions there," Ian said, getting ready to end the call.

"How do I know that you'll be there?" Ben asked, and Ian laughed.

"Just do what you're told, and no one will get hurt," he said, before hanging up.

As Riley sat outside his tent, playing around with the laptop, Abigail went back to Ben.

"What is it?" she asked, as Ben looked down at the phone in his hand.

"Ian- he- " he tried to get the words out, but couldn't.

Abigail frowned, "Ian? Ian's here? On the island?" she asked, both confused and shocked.

Ben nodded, "I've got to tell Riley and Sydney," Abigail said, as she turned to leave.

"You can't," Ben said, finally looking up at her.

Abigail turned around, frowning. "Why not?" she asked.

"Because Ian has Sydney," he said.

Gasping, Abigail covered her mouth and shook her head. Ben started dialing a number out on the phone.

"Who are you calling?" Abigail asked, as Ben waited for someone to answer.

After several rings, someone finally answered the phone.

"Hello, may I speak to Agent Sadusky? It's very important,"


	16. Chapter 16

After hanging up with Sadusky, Riley and Abigail walked back to their tents. Riley had tied the flaps up, allowing some sunlight into the tent he and Sydney had shared. He was sitting on his cot, tapping away at his laptop. When Ben and Abigail walked into the tent, he looked up at them.

"I'm trying to upload the map of this island, but the connection keeps going out. I need to get closer to their satellites, too pick up a signal," he said, looking up at them.

Both just nodded and Riley frowned, "Okay, no problem. I'm just doing this, because I have nothing better to do," he said.

Ben sighed and sat down on the cot, opposite of him. Abigail stood by the enterance of the tent, quiet. Riley looked at both of his friends and gave them an awkward laugh, which pained them both.

"Please don't tell me the Temple of Apollo crumbled to the ground, after I questioned if the god's even exsisted," he said, with a laugh.

Ben and Abigail both shook their heads, and Riley stopped laughing.

"Um, what's going on? Ben? Abigail?" he asked, looking at them both.

Ben sighed, "Riley, something happened.." he started off.

"What? We got caught?" he asked, and Abigail shook her head.

"No, sweetie," she said, looking at the yong man with tears in her eyes.

This threw Riley into a deeper form of confusement and panic. Abby never called him "Sweetie". That was a pet name she used for Ben, when she wanted something from him. Riley looked at his friends, and asked the question that they had been afraid to answer.

"Where's Sydney?" he asked, and Abigail quickly turned around to hide the tears.

That gave everything away, "Oh my god! Oh my god! Ben, what happened!" Riley cried, standing up from the cot.

Ben finally looked up at him, "Sydney's missing," he said.

"What?! What do you mean she's missing?! How could she go missing from the camp?" he asked, frantic.

"Because Ian took her," Ben finished, and Riley felt as if a thousand bricks had been dropped on his head.

Setting himself back down on the cot slowly, Riley just looked at the ground. Abigail walked over to Riley and sat down next to him, wrapping her arm around his shoulder.Ben looked at the younger man before him, and shook his head sadly.

"I'm so sorry, Riley," he said, as Abigail sqeezed Riley's shoulder.

Riley looked up and frowned, "We're going after them, right?" he asked.

Ben and Abigail looked at each other, then nodded. Riley looked at them both and sighed, shaking his head.

"What did you do?" Riley asked, and Ben huffed.

"I called Sadusky, who is part of the team that is trying to track Ian down. I told him what happened, and he and his team should be here within 14 hours," Ben said.

"So, what does that mean?" he asked, and Ben sighed.

"That we wait," he said, knowing that Riley would not like that one bit.

And Ben was right, as Riley stood up and began shouting.

"WAIT! Ben, how do we know if Sydney'll be alive in 14 hours? I'm not gonna sit around here and wait until the MIB come in full force and recover her dead body! We're going now!" he said, as he stormed out of the tent.

Abigail glared at Ben, and quickly got up and went after Riley. Stepping out into the hot Greek summer sun, Abigail found Riley standing a few feet away from the tents. Walking up behind him, she saw his shoulders shake and heard a sniffle. Abigail felt her heart break, as she wrapped her arms around Riley from behind. Turning around, Riley wrapped his own arms around her and burried his face into her shoulder.

Sydney woke up to blurry surroundings. Blinking a few times, she felt the pain in her head and winced. Rubbing the back of her head, Sydney slowly sat up and looked around. Her back was killing her from laying on the hard ground for god knows how long, and she was freezing. Trying to remember what had happened, Sydney slowly stood up and saw that she was on the edge of a cliff. But she was indoors.

"Ahh, you've woken up," a British voice said, from behind.

Sydney turned around and saw an older man, with sandy blonde hair, standing at the mouth of the cave.

"Who are you?" she asked, standing in her spot.

If she made any sudden movements, with her luck, she would fall to her death. The man laughed, and walked closer to her. Sydney felt her breath hitch, and she tried not to move.

"You have something, that I want," he said, and Syndey suddenly recognized the man before her.

Ian Howe. The man that chased her and Riley from the docks.

"You're him. You're the one that broke out from prision. You're the one that chased us from the dock!" she shouted, her voice echoing off the walls.

Ian laughed, "Very good. I guess they're keeping you informed with who I am and what I'm capable of," he said.

Sydney glared at him, "I don't know what you want, but you'll be stopped," she said.

Ian practically laughed in her face, and Sydney shook her head.

"Oh, love. By the time Riley comes to save you, I'll have my treasure and you'll be dead," he laughed, showing her the gun he had strapped to his side.

Sydney swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat, and tried her best not to cry. Ian smirked and walked back into the cave, leaving Sydney out on the edge. Sitting down with her back towars him, Sydney pulled her knees up to her chest and silently cried.


	17. Chapter 17

Packing a few things, Abigail, Ben andd Riley quickly and quietly snuck out of the camp. Heading back to the Temple of Apollo, they stopped quickly, so that Riley could hand out ear pieces and walkie talkies .

"That way, if we get separated, we can still communicate with each other," Riley said, as they placed the walkies on.

Picking up the pace, they walked up the steep hills and down the rocky slopes, before they finally reached the steps that led to the temple. Splitting up, they began to search for any signs that Ian had been there within the last several hours. As Riley was making his way though a pile of abandoned pottery, Abigail began to shout.

"Guys! I found it!" she yelled, looking back over her shoulder.

Ben and Riley ran over and Abigail pointed to what she had found. Both gasped, as they saw a large hole in the wall. Ben took out a flashflight and turned it on, shining it into the hole.

"It looks like a cave,' Riley said, looking in.

Abigail nodded, "It makes sense. The temple also served as a hiding place for the people who lived on this island. Since this part of the temple was built against the small mountains, this would lead us further down underground," she said, kneeling down.

"Look," Ben said, pointing to the ground.

Riley kneeled down as well, and leaned forward. There, on the dirt path the led into the caves, were footprints. Looking up at Ben, he nodded. As Abigail stood, Ben handed her another flashlight, and stepped into the cave. Abigail went next, and Riley after. All three had their flashlights out and on, using them as guides in the dark, damp caves.

"Watch your step, guys. For all we know, the Greeks could've adopted trap ideas from the Egyptians," Ben said, as he stepped over a pile of rocks.

It took them nearly three hours to get further underground, and into the center of the caves. Standing on a ledge, they looked down and saw a giant pool of water. As Abigail looked down at it, Ben and Riley shined their flashlights around and the other caves that were either next to them or across from them.

Syndey was laying on the hard ground, when she saw a light from inside the cave. Sitting up, she watched as the light danced across the walls, and frowned. Ian had left her alone for three hours, as he went further down the steep slopes to find another cave below. Quietly, Sydney got up and made her way into the cave. Wishing she had a flashlight herself, she carefully walked through the darkness, using her hands and the flashing light to guide her. As everything got brighter and brighter, Sydney peered out and gasped.

It was Ben. And Abigail. Sydney's heart fluttered and she smiled, when she saw Riley. Stepping out on the ledge, she nearly cried out, when Abigail spotted her. Turning to Riley, Abigail smiled. She said something to him, then pointed across the water. Riley looked over and Sydney thought the he would cry at that moment.

"We're gonna get you out, Syd," Ben said, and she nodded.

Sydney looked around at her surroundings. Between her side and the other, there was an old beam of wood, that was probably once a bridge for those who used these caves. When Ben and the others failed to find another means of rescue, Sydney knew that she would have to use it.

"You're gonna have to walk across it," Ben said, as she glanced at the beam.

Riley looked from Sydney, to the beam, then to Ben. He began to shake his head, "Are you crazy?! That thing is like, a thousand years old!" he cried.

"She has no other way. If we stand here just doing nothing, Ian will find her!!" Abigail said, frustrated as well.

Riley looked at Sydney, who nodded. "It's okay, RIiley. I can do it," she said, as fear filled her.

Moving to the edge, Sydney carefully and slowly placed her foot onto the beam, holding her breath.

"That's it, Syd. Nice and easy," Ben said, trying to keep her calm.

Sydney placed one foot onto the beam, then the other. Exhaling, she slowly moved, one foot in front of the other. Her arms were spread slightly out, while her knees were bent. _Nice and easy. Nice and easy. Nice and easy. _As she moved, she heard the beam creak beneath her feet. Her breathing hitched and she felt the tears form in her eyes.

"Sydney, it's okay. You're almost there, just keep moving,"

It was Riley this time who spoke, and suddenly her fears were somewhat gone. She moved, picking up the pace as she went. Sydney was only five inches away, when the beam began to shake violently. Sydney let out a cry, as it swayed back and forth. She had minutes, seconds, before it would eventually collapse. The others were shouting, as a loud _CRACK _echoed off the walls.

"JUMP!" Riley shouted, as Sydney felt the beam give way underneath her feet.

Sydney jumped forward, and nearly lost her balance when half of her feet touched the ground. She felt herself falling backwards and she let out a shout, closing her eyes. But instead of falling, she felt herself being pulled forward. Opening her eyes, Sydney found herself in Riley's arms. Along with Abigail and Ben, they watched as the beam fell into two, hitting the water below with a loud splash.

"We better get moving," Ben said, as he looked at them.

Moving back through the tunnel, they turned left instead of straight, leading down another long and dark tunnel. Sydney held onto Riley's hand tightly, afraid that if she'd let go, something would jump out from behind and take her again. It seemed like hours, when they finally reached the other side. Sydney looked up and realized that they were standing under the ledge that woke up on, hours before. They stopped to catch their breath and to look around, trying to figure out what to do next.

Riley sat Sydney down on the rocks and sat next to her, pulling his bag over to him.

"Riley, I'm okay," she said, as Riley pulled out a water bottle for her.

He handed it over to her and she took it, taking a long sip from it. "Did he hurt you?" he asked, looking at her bare arms.

Sydney put the bottle down and shook her head, "No. He hit me over the head when he took my, but other than that, he didn't do anything else," she said.

Riley reached out to touch her face, and Sydney looked at him. "I was so scared! He said that you'd never find me and that if you did, I'd be dead by then. He has a gun and I-" Riley cut her off with a kiss.

They were interrupted, when Ben and Abigail cleared their throats. Pulling away from each other's lips, Sydney and Riley both looked up at them.

"We found something," Abigail said, with a smile on her face.

Ben nodded, smiling as well. Riley and Sydney got up and followed them across the rocky ground, and over to a wall. Syndey looked at it, and something caught her eye. Turning to Riley, she tore her gaze off the wall.

"Did you bring it?" she asked, and Riley nodded.

Abigail opened her bag and pulled out the necklace, handing it to Sydney. Sydney took it and stepped forward, placing the necklace into the carving. Pushing it in, she stepped back and waited. When nothing happened, she became confused.

"Well, this sucks," Riley said, as Sydney looked to Ben.

Ben thought for a moment, then stepped forward.Pushing the necklace further into the wall, they heard a loud crack and the wall crumbled into the floor. Riley pulled Sydney back, as the rocks fell. After the dust cleared, they saw another large room. They slowly walked in, using the flashlights to guide them. Ben took a packet of matches out of his bag and striked one on the box. Going over to the wall, Ben droppd the match onto the ledge filled with oil.

The oil went up in flames quickly, making a ring of fire around the room. Sydney gapsed at the sigh before her. They were standing in the middle of the treasure room.


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! I think this story will have two more chapters- one will be an epilouge. I might then do oneshots with Sydney and Riley, but I'm not exactly sure yet. I have three other stories to work on! So, we'll see. Anyways, thank you again for reading and the reviews!**

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Sydney looked around the room and the mountains of treasure. As Ben, Abigail and Riley walked around, looking at everything in awe, Sydney just stood in her spot, speechless. It was real. The treasure was real.

"I think this is the statue of Apollo, that once sat in the temple," Ben said, as Abigail stood next to him.

Sydney smiled and slowly walked over to a chest, that laid against the wall. Kneeling down, she pulled it closer to her, and wiped the dush off with her fingers. Sydeny gasped, when she saw the carving of her necklace, on the chest. Pulling a bobby pin out of her hair, Sydney laid the tiny chest on it's back and began to pick the lock. When she heard a click, Sydney pulled the chest back up, and lifted the lid. She gasped. Inside the chest, was the same exact necklace, only with a smaller pendent.

Touching the pendent, Sydney felt something cold and hard touch the back of her neck. She felt the goosebumps form on her arms, and her breathing stopped.

"Stand up,"

Sydney did what she was told, and rose slowly from the ground.

"Turn around,"

Sydney did and tried not to flinch, as Ian stood before her holding a gun to her face. He smiled at her, and she held her breath.

"Walk ahead of me," he demanded.

"Please don't do this," Sydney begged, finally finding her voice.

"I said," Ian raised his left hand and brought it across her face, "Walk ahead of me," he growled

Sydney did what she was told, and walked past him. As they walked, Sydney in front and Ian right behind, holding the gun up, Sydney tried her best to not run. Ian had a gun. She was weaponless. If she made a run for it, she'd be killed instantly. Sydney watched as Ben and Riley tried to open another chest, as Abigail was reading inscriptions off a vase.

"Well, I guess you found it then," Ian said, making them all jump.

Ian pulled Sydney closer to him, wrapped one arm around her shoulders and held the gun to her head. Riley made a move to jump forward, but Ian stopped him.

"Step any closer," he said, glaring at Riley. "And I'll shoot her pretty little head off," he finished.

Sydney whimpered as Ian pushed the gun deeper into the side of her head. Ben stepped next to Riley.

"You can have the treasure, Ian. Just give us Sydney," he said, not wanting this to go any further.

Ian let out a bark like laugh, "Oh Ben, do you really think I'm just going to hand her over? Just like that? You really think I'm gonna let you lot out of here, like nothing happened? Sorry Ben, I just can't do that," he said, as the gun clicked.

Sydney felt the tears roll down her face, as she looked at Riley. This was it. She was going to die. Then Ian was going to kill the others, and take the treasure. He was going to erase them from this world, and walk away as nothing happened. Sydney thought about the life she could've had, sharing it with Riley. Them possibly moving further with their relationship, and even getting married and having babies and growing old together. But that wouldn't happen. She was going to die, just like he.

"Say goodbye, Sydney," Ian said, as he got ready to pull the trigger.

"NO!"

"IAN DON'T!"

Sydney closed her eyes, and heard Abigail screaming and a round of gunshots going off. Sydney waited to feel the pain, but instead, she felt nothing. Nothing was holding her, as she stood there, with her eyes shut. Suddenly, heard footsteps and raidos going off. Sydney opened her eyes, and looked around. Men in dressed uniforms were all over, as an older man dressed in black walked over to Ben. Sydney looked behind her and saw Ian laying on the ground. Turning back around, she looked at Riley, who was in shock as well. Sydney ran to him, and threw herself into his arms.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Mr. Gates," the man said, looking around the room.

"Sadusky, you said fourteen hours. You've managed to get here in," Ben said, looking down at his watch then back up, " Ten," he finished.

Sadusky laughed, "I have my ways, Mr. Gates, I have my ways," he said.

Riley set Sydney down, and she sobbed.

"Are you okay?" he asked, as she clutched to his arms.

She nodded, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay, "she said, breathing hard.

She was shaking, unable to control herself, let alone stand up straight. Abigail went to Ben and Sadusky, leaving Sydney and Riley by themselves. Riley looked at Sydney with concern, as she trembled.

"Hey, you're okay now," he said, rubbing her arms.

Sydney looked at him and nodded, "I just want to go. I don't care about the treasure, Riley. I just want to go home," she said, as tears spilled from her eyes.

Riley pulled her close to him, and rubbed her back as she stood there silently. Everything would be alright now. She had nothing to fear.


	19. Chapter 19

Sydney pulled her hair back into a ponytail, and walked out of the bedroom and down the hall to Ben and Abigail's. Knocking on the door lightly, she pushed the door open and smiled softly.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" she asked, as the couple lounged in their bed.

Abigail put her book down and nodded, "We'll be fine. You and Riley go ahead and have some fun. We'll all go out later tonight for dinner," she said.

Sydney nodded and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. Making her way back to the sittingroom, she sighed.

"Not going?" Riley asked, as he sat on the sofa.

Sydney nodded, "They'll come to dinner with us later,' she said, as Riley stood up.

The day after the incident in Greece, and long hours of questioning, they took a plane back to Italy. The FBI and Italian governemnt decided to set them up in a hotel for a full day, before going back to the US. As much as Sydney wanted to go back home, she decided to enjoy the one day she had in Italy. After the adventure, it would be a while before Sydney ever went on another vacation again.

After several hours of walking around, Riley and Sydney headed to a park and sat down on one of the benches. Sydney watched, as a young couple played with their two young children, and began to wonder if she would have that sort of life one day. She glanced over at Riley, and saw that he too, was watching the couple before them.

"Riley," she said, suddenly, making him look at her.

Sydney was quiet for a moment, then she finally spoke. "Why does it feel like this?" she asked.

Riley frowned, "What does what feel like?" he asked.

"Why does kissing you, feel so right? Like it's supposed to happen?" she asked, looking at him.

Riley didn't answer right away, so Sydney didn't press on to the subject. After what felt like ages, he finally spoke.

"Because maybe we're supposed to be together. Maybe it's fate?" he asked, and she smiled softly at him.

"You think so?" she asked, and Riley nodded.

"I think so. Do you?" he asked, and she nodded as well.

Sydney leaned forward, as did Riley, and kissed him. After a few minutes, both pulled away to catch their breaths. Sydney was nearly laying across the bench, as Riley had his arms around her waist.

"Let's go back to the hotel," she said, sitting up.

Taking her by the hand, Riley pulled her off the bench and pulled her out of the park. Sydney laughed, trying to keep herself from falling over. Riley slowed down a bit, but couldn't keep his hands off of her. Finally reaching the hotel, they ran through the lobby and into the elevator. During the ride up to the 23rd floor, Sydney was up against the wall of the elevator, as Riley smothered her with kisses. When the doors opened, they quickly ran out and down the hall to their room. Once they got the door opened, Sydney pulled Riley into the room, and kicked the door shut behind them. Running to their room, they slammed the door behind them and locked it.

Hours later, Riley and Sydney strolled into the sitting room, freshly showered and dressed. Abigail and Ben sat waiting for them, dressed nicely for dinner. They both noticed the sudden change in their young friends, as they held each other's hand and smiled at each other. After dinner, the newly formed couple, moved their chairs closer to one another and shared a piece of chocolate cake, and enjoyed the last few hours they had in Italy with their friends. When they finally climbed into bed, it was a quarter after midnight. Sydney had no problems falling asleep that night, because she knew that everything would be alright. And she couldn't wait to see what the future would bring.


	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you again for all your reviews! Okay, so here is the final chapter! THE EPILOUGE! As of now, I have one oneshot story written out, which will be up tomorrow afternoon. Until then, please enjoy! Thanks again! **

_Epilouge_

_1 year later_

A loud splash and a round of laughter filled the summer air, in the backyard of the Gates residence. Sydney was sitting on the edge of the pool with Abigail, as Riley and Ben swam in the pool.

A lot had changed in the last year. Shortly after returning from Italy, Sydney moved out of her tiny apartment and into Riley's. It was no surprise to their families that they would end up together. After all, they had been friends since pre-school. Ben and Abigail married in January after a three month engagement, which led everyone to ask when Riley and Sydney would tie the knot.

"Ben, no splashing!" Abigail warned, as Ben got ready to splash Riley for jumping into the pool right next to him.

Ben opened his mouth to protest, but Abigail glared at him. With a sigh, Ben swam to the opposite side of the pool. Abigail sat back and sighed, wrapping her arm around her large belly. At eight and a half months pregnant, she still looked amazing. A little moody at sometimes, but still managed to look great at it. Riley swam over to the girls, and stopped right in front of Sydney's legs.

"Are you coming in?" he asked, looking up at her.

Sydney shrugged, "I don't know. I kinda like sitting up here, with my good friend Abigail," she said, putting her arm around Abigail's shoulders.

Riley pouted, "You rather sit up here with her, then swim with your cute boyfriend?" he asked, smirking as Abigail glared at him.

"Besides, I don't want to get my hair wet. And you two should start wrapping your pool time up, we have to get dinner ready," she said, as Riley groaned.

"I don't wanna!" he whined, pouting.

"Fine, I guess you wont be getting any loving from me tonight, " she said, as Abigail gagged.

"I thought you loved me?" Riley asked, pretending to be hurt.

"Aw, sweetie. Of course I love you. But that doesn't mean I'll promise you a night of passion," she said.

Riley pointed at his girlfriend and shook his head, "You are a mean girlfriend, " he said, as he swam to the side ladder in the pool.

Sydney laughed, as Abigail called for Ben. Both men climbed out of the pool, much to their dislike. Sydney got up and went to get Riley a towel, as Ben helped Abigail off the ground. As Ben and Riley went into the house to get the food for the grill, Abigail sat down at the table . Heading into the kithcen, Sydney went to the fridge and started pulling out stuff for a salad. Feeling to arms wrap around her from behind, Sydney smiled to herself. She leaned her head back and sighed.

"What do you want, Riley?" she asked, as he chuckled.

Riley didn't say anything. Instead, he held his hand out in front of her. Looking down, Sydney dropped the bag of lettuce on the floor, gasping. In Riley's hand, was a black box. A tiny black box. Sydney turned to the side and looked at Riley, then at the box, before looking at him again. Riley nodded to the box in his hand.

"Go on, open it," he whispered, smiling as she looked at the box again.

Sydney picked the small box up and slowly lifted the lid up. She gasped, nearly dropping it to the floor. Inside the box, laid a emerald-cut three stoned engagement ring. Sydney covered her mouth with one hand, as Riley took the box back from her. Pulling the ring out, Riley looked at Sydney.

"I know we've known each other for the last twenty years," he started, taking Sydney's left hand into his.

"Twenty long years, of my complaining and your random outbursts of insanity, which I still worry about," Sydney laughed and Riley smiled. "But, I don't think I could spend the rest of my life with anyone else. It's the little things that count the most, Syd.You're my best friend and the love of my life, and I want to spend the rest of it, watching you make a fool of yourself, while I find something to complain about, "

Sydney felt her eyes fill up with tears, as she smiled at him.

"So. Will you, Sydney Carnahan, marry me?" he asked.

Smiling, Sydney nodded. "Yes. Yes, I will marry you," she said.

Riley smiled and slipped the ring onto her finger, and Syndey started to cry. Pulling her into a kiss, Riley lifted Sydney off the floor and held her tightly. A few minutes later, they both walked back outside. Sydney took a seat at the table, and used her left hand to push her hair back. Abigail saw the sparkle on her heand and let out a scream. Ben and Riley jumped, turning around to look at her. Abigail was pointing to Sydney, unable to speak. Then, looking to her husband, she let out a mix between a yelp and a gasp.

"Abby?" Ben asked, worried that his wife was going crazy at the moment.

"She.. and he..Ben..oh.." was all she could get out, making Sydney giggle.

"What the hell is she talking about?" Ben asked, looking at Sydney, who in turn used her left hand to smother out her giggles.

Ben saw the ring on her hand, and smiled. Abigail was nodding now, pointing to both Sydney and Riley, still speechless.

"Congratulations!" said Ben, going over to give Sydney a hug.

He then went to Riley and gave him a manly hug, which made Sydney laugh. After a few seconds, Abigail managed to get her voice back and managed to drag Sydney into the kitchen to get the full details of the proposal. The men stood by the grill, drinking their beers and cooking the food, as Abigail shouted about flowers and dresses. Sydney quickly walked out of the kitchen a few minutes later, carrying the dishes and silverware, as Abigail followed with the salad.

"You two could get married in December! Oh, a winter wedding would be so lovely!" she said, as Sydney set the table.

Ben and Riley sniggered, as Sydney was forced into hearing Abigail talk about how lovely everything would look for a December wedding. They finally saved her from losing her mind, when they set the food on the table. By 11:30, the newly engaged couple decided to call it a night and head back home. After saying their goodbyes, they made the short ride back to their apartment and got ready for bed. Sydney turned the light off in the bathroom, and walked across the hall into the bedroom.

Riley was already in bed asleep, when she walked in. Crawling into bed next to him, Sydney pulled the blankets up over her legs and snuggled up against him. Riley woke up for a moment and looked down at her, a smiled softly. Sydney leaned up and kissed him goodnight, before laying her head back down on his chest. With the perfect summer day coming to a close, Sydney fell asleep that night easily.


End file.
